Haven't met you yet
by LadyPalma
Summary: Two lists to organize the two most important marriages in the Kingdom, the one of King Henry and Queen Catherine... but not with each other! AU, where KOA and Henry have a consensual separation and both of them have to re-marry... HenryVIII/AnneBoleyn,TomKat,Cromwell/AOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hy everyone:) This is my new story, absolutly AU, where Henry and Catherine have a consensual separation (even if Catherine still doesn't want it) but the King doesn't know Anne Boleyn yet, so with the help of his two most trusted advisors Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell he has to find the perfect wife for him and the perfect husband for his late wife... Pairings: HenryVIII/?(still to decide, but I think Henry/Anne) TomKat and Cromwell/AOC. Let me know if you like it!**

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And I know some day that it'll all turn out,  
You'll make me work so we can work to work it out,  
And I promise you kid that I give so much more than I get...  
I just haven't met you yet.

[Haven't met you yet - Michael Bublè]

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_First Chapter_

"I suggest to think one more time about it, your majesty" said one of the three men in the room almost in a whisper, in a last vain attempt.

"Of course, I think the same…" the other man interjected "I suggest to think about the chance to widen the list" added then with an amused smile waving the paper he had in the hands.

The first man shook his head in a mix of annoyance and resignation, turning the head enough to glare at the other one.

"Since when you are so ironic, Secretary?" asked then releasing a laugh without joy.

"The real question is since when you are ironic, my Lord" the man with the list replied, without looking up from the paper, as if a still unsolved matter kept him linked to it.

While the two of them were arguing, they seemed to have forgotten that there was a third man listening to that unfriendly conversation, and he wasn't just a normal person. Henry VIII, King of England, smiled watching his two most trusted advisors: the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary and Lord of the Privy Council. That between them there was a bad blood, was more than evident, but His Majesty saw in that disagreement a point of strength of his Government: with point of views so different, he could in fact understand exactly what was the right compromise, the perfect moves to use; besides he knew that despite their opinion and beliefs, he had in front of him, in that moment, the most loyal men to him in all the Kingdom.

"That's enough" he suddenly said vaguely bored, while the two immediately shut up, not refraining anyway from giving each other a last nasty look "We are talking about my marriage…" he added underling his main role in the matter, already passed in History as the name of The King's Great Matter. He had been even close to the separation from the catholic Church, but at the last minute he had found a deal with Catherine, a formally consensual separation soon confirmed by the Pope; Henry would have remarried and would had his male heir, Catherine would have had sundry properties, a conspicuous amount of money, the title of Princess of Wales and the permission to stay at Court, Mary would have remained in the line of succession and everyone would have had their happy ever after…

"But…"

"But nothing, Sir Thomas" the King quickly interrupted him, still lost in his thoughts "I won't think again about my decision to leave Catherine!" he exclaimed trying to cheek the irritation caused by the excessive attention that his Lord Chancellor showed for his soon to be ex – wife.

"But…"

"Neither, Master Cromwell" he said hushing also the attempt of the other man "I don't think to add to the list any member of the Protestant League"

Henry looked at his advisors for a few moments, then he stood up and approaching the Secretary, took the precious paper he had in the hands. He looked carefully at the written names and then looked up again with a pleased smile on the lips.

"You did a good job, Master Cromwell" the King said looking at him, while the man bowed his head "But I'd prefer that from today Sir Thomas was the one to work on my new possible wives…" he added giving the paper to the other man under the astonished looks of the both of them.

"But Your Majesty" the Secretary tried to protest, confused and a bit annoyed in front of that sudden change of plans.

"Don't worry, you'll take care of the other list" the King interrupted him again.

"What other list?" the two advisors asked.

Henry simply smiled. As Cromwell and More, he had his plans too; the difference was that he was the King and his plan would have been Law.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! I really want to thank who follows this story and the one who left me a review:) I wasn't supposed to update today but anyway I've found some free time so here it is! I hope you like it!:)**

**In this chapter will appear Catherine of Aragon, Kathryn Howard and Anne of Cleves. Anyway, to not create confusion with Anne Boleyn, I'll call the German princess Anna.**

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**Haven't Met You Yet**

_Second Chapter_

"Your Majesty, Sir Thomas More"

The Queen looked up to Lady Elizabeth Darrell, leaning the shirt she was sewing, with an unaware smile forming on her lips. She simply nodded, allowing his entrance to her most trusted lady that, after introduced the Lord Chancellor in the room, left with a bow.

"Sir Thomas!" Catherine said standing up at his sight. He was one of her most loyal friends in England and besides Lady Elizabeth, the ambassador Chapuys and Cardinal Fisher, she believed the only one.

"My Queen!" he answered returning the smile and taking her hands in his own.

"I've known that now you're the one that take care of the King's list…" she started mentioning the news heard by her ladies in waiting.

"Yes, but I'm not here for that…" Thomas interrupted her leaving her hands and looking away, trying to find the right words "There's another list…" he finally revealed looking up to her "A list that isn't about the King nor about ladies… A list of men, suitors for you"

"For me?" Catherine repeated in a whisper "I've clearly expressed to the King my will to not remarry…" then weakly protested.

"Of course, but he's the King and this is his will…" Thomas sighed resigned "But the worst part is that Thomas Cromwell is in charge of the list…" he added then staring at her eyes watching them wide again for the astonishment.

"Cromwell? But that man is… terrible… my future can't be in his hands!" the Queen exclaimed regained strength in the voice that slowly stained of the color of annoyance.

Thomas bent his head in front of that look; he would have done anything for his Queen but at that moment there was nothing he could do. Catherine sighed trying to regain her control and approached the Cross in her personal parlor in her chambers, then gave her hand to the man.

"Pray with me, Sir Thomas" she said in a whisper with the smile of who has faith, the smile she knew only one person could really share. The person that at that moment was in front of her.

The Lord Chancellor didn't hesitate not even a second, took her hand and knelt beside her.

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Thomas Cromwell took a breath entering the big royal parlor: there were about twenty girls, different for age, feature, social background and native land, waiting for him. Because of the fact he was the first one to do the King's list and of his good memory of the portraits the ambassadors had showed him, he could already recognize, with a simple look, some of them: a couple of imperial ladies, the ambassador Boleyn's young daughters, the King of Portugal's youngest sister.

"I welcome you at court, my Ladies" he said moving his look above each of them "I believe you already know the reason of your presence here… There will be Balls and banquets every night, where you'll have the chance to make yourselves known by the King… Among you there is the next Queen of England"

The excited whispers, naturally caused by the Secretary's last sentence, suddenly stopped with the arrival of the King himself. All the ladies moved to the sides of the room, to let him walk between them, and bowed to him at his passage. Henry smiled and, giving them an interested look, approached his advisor, talking in such a low tone to be sure of being heard only by him.

"Who's that young lady?" asked with a pleased smile on the lips, pointing a blonde girl with a still childish face that passed joy and freshness.

"Kathryn Howard" Cromwell answered following the direction of his look "17 years old, relative of the Duke of Norfolk"

"Well, tell her that I would like to speak to her this night…" he said not looking away from that beautiful seventeen years old girl.

After he said this, the King left again the parlor while Cromwell continued to say the last information about the ladies' stay at Court. At the end of his speech, he dismissed the women with a bow and, watching them going out by the main entrance, was about to exit himself, when he heard a voice calling him.

"yes, Princess" he answered turning back and bend his head in front of that girl he had recognized as a German princess, one of the Duke of Cleves's sister.

"I…I'm afraid I haven't understand well some things…" she revealed a bit hesitant in that bit of English she knew.

Thomas sighed slightly: Anna of Cleves was the lady he stake all on as possible new Queen, the woman who could clear, for his own profit of course, the way to an alliance with the Protestant League and he was so convinced by the project, to write himself to the Duke William to invite the girl, even though her name wasn't on the list anymore. Something told him, however, that the situation would have been more difficult than what he had though, even if in front of the naivety of the Princess he couldn't suppress a smile.

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**Ok, I want to say to everyone that despite what may seems I'm not going to write about Henry/KH pairing, instead I've decided to Henry/Anne, but it will take some chapters before he'll fall for her:)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Third chapter_

It was the sweet sound of violins and the excited ferment of the Court to welcome Their Majesties two evenings later the arrival of the perfect candidates of the two lists. The King gave his hand to the Queen, who with a clearly fake smile, took it and they together made their entrance in the hall. A passage of bows created and the music stopped for some moments. Myth and reality seemed to collide in that instant, the instant when the Queen was thinking about a Greek myth where there were a couple in which the man could have all the women he wanted and the woman the same with men… She didn't remember the name of the two but she thought that they could even be Henry e Catherine. She slowly sighed and then gave a look to her still formal husband, who seemed to have already noted one of the ladies; then he looked himself to her and took one of her hands to his lips.

"I wish you to find the perfect person for you and that you will be happy" he whispered then staring at her with a strange light in the eyes, the flash of sincerity and maybe sense of guilt.

But it lasted just a moment and the King had already disappeared, letting her alone with her suitors with the immense desire to runaway, lock in her chambers and cry. But the daughter of Isabelle of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon couldn't cry, so she put on another fake smile and decided to join the ball as well.

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The Lord Chancellor had remained watching the Court from a corner of the Hall. It was hard to say what or who he was looking at, he didn't know it himself, since he seemed to have suddenly lost the object of his observation. But there was also someone who was looking at him.

"Sir Thomas, good job with the list" the Secretary said revealing his presence beside him. And revealing was also his ironic tone.

"I can't say the same with yours…" the other man simply replied moving his eyes away from the crowd and living a quick look to his new interlocutor.

Cromwell hinted a half smile, amused by the irritation in the Lord Chancellor's voice; it was quite usual lately and it was to lead back always to a topic, in fact when he was talking about a certain future and past Princess of Galles he barely seemed to loose his head and if he had continued that way either the King would have discover it or the Queen would have found out before he himself would have admitted and maybe the head he would have loose it for real.

"Come on Thomas" he said giggling "Your attention for our Queen could be easily misunderstood" added showing his doubts, just to see the nice tone of red on Thomas More's face at that insinuation.

"What are you referring to?" the Chancellor asked, trying to fake indifference.

"Absolutely nothing, if you have understood otherwise then you are not so Saint as you like to show…" the Secretary answered smiling triumphant again .

More heavily sighed, trying to control his anger… His namesake was talking too much and he knew that he wasn't talking just to make conversation but because he had a precise purpose in mind.

"What do you want, Cromwell?" he asked then cutting short, turning completely to him.

"I want you to add a name on the list of the Ladies for the King" he revealed not daring to return the look and keeping on the contrary the eyes on the King, who was at the moment dancing with a young lady that he recognized as one of the ambassador Boleyn's daughters.

"What name?" asked More, even though his intuition already suggested him a German woman connected to the Protestant League and he even dared to think that she was present at Court in that moment, despite he himself hadn't invited her. Either of the two ideas could be more exact when a young lady with auburn hair was pointed to him.

"Anna of Cleves, duke William of Cleves's sister" Cromwell simply explained looking at her with a smile.

Thomas More subtly shook his head: she wasn't an ugly girl, but she wasn't certainly the kind of woman that could arouse the King's attention. Of course she had found a way to distinguish herself and not for her feature but for the empty space she had around, far away from the other ladies, alone on the opposite side of the room where the two men were now. She could have never replaced Catherine's beauty or grace… And at that sudden thought, that he hoped it was remained so, he had to bit his tongue.

"Do you think I don't know, Sir Thomas, don't you?" the Secretary said in a serious tone "But you would like to add a name on my list too" he added pulling out the paper on which were written the names of the Cavaliers for the Queen.

"Which name would I like to add, in your opinion?" the Chancellor asked curious, raising a eyebrow. He actually didn't care at all about the men on that list, there was only a name he would have really liked to add, but it remained locked in the unconscious side of his mind.

Cromwell looked at him for a moment, maybe the "messenger of Satan" as he was called with disgust by the most fervent Catholics because of his Lutheran tendencies, had the power to penetrate minds and discover the most hidden secrets inside or more simply, those thoughts weren't hidden so well as More thought.

"Yours, Sir Thomas, you would like to add your name on this list…"


End file.
